Updated September 30, 2026 · SmartHomeCue Editorial Team
Lockly vs SONOFF
What sets them apart
| Compare |  Lockly |  SONOFF |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $189.99 | €20.47 |
| Products | Camera, Smart lock, Video doorbell | Camera, Alarm |
| Free features | Free Lockly Home app with 90-day access logs, 3 eBadges and 3 OAC per month | 1080P live view, free motion detection push alerts, local microSD (TF) recording up to 128GB, two-way audio, sleep mode, privacy zones and RTSP; CAM-C44HE adds local AI detection and security modes with no monthly fee |
| Top resolution | 2k | 4k |
| Monitoring per month | $0 | Not confirmed |
| Cloud plan per month | $0 | Not confirmed |
| Installation required | No | Not confirmed |
Same on both: Minimum contract (0 months), Professional monitoring (No), Local storage (Yes), Money-back period (30 days), Recording retention (90 days).
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Key differences
- SONOFF scores higher overall: 9.4 vs 9.1.
- Products: only Lockly offers Smart lock, Video doorbell.
- Products: only SONOFF offers Alarm.
- Support channels: only Lockly offers Community, Phone.
- SONOFF is available in 28 more countries.
- Power source: only Lockly offers Battery, Solar.
- Power source: only SONOFF offers Wired.
Our verdict on each
Lockly
Lockly suits homeowners and renters who want locks, cameras and video doorbells from one maker and prefer no monthly fee, with monitoring costing $0. The trade-off is upfront hardware, which sits above the entry gear at Annke and Aqara, and there is no contract to serve.
SONOFF
SONOFF suits people building a wired or Zigbee home on a tight budget who want cameras and climate gear that keep working without a subscription. Entry costs start at €6.16, the range is Matter certified, and local storage holds recordings for 90 days. The catch is support, which runs on email and help centre only.
Score breakdown
| Area | Lockly | SONOFF |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.1Entry hardware is not cheap: locks start at $169.99, and price ranks 60 of 70 brands. | 9.9HigherEntry price runs €6.16 and a camera sits at €20.47, with monitoring and contracts at 0 months, well under the €61.38 typical band. |
| Offer | 9.2HigherCameras, locks and video doorbells sit in camera, smart lock and video doorbell, the Lockly Home tier costs $0, and the offer score is 9.2. | 9.0Free features cover local AI detection, privacy zones and RTSP, and energy reporting is included. |
| Trust | 8.8A 30 days return window and 1 to 5 years of warranty sit behind community, email and help centre support. | 9.1Higher2 years of cover, local storage as standard, and support limited to email and help centre, which is thinner than most rivals. |
Licences and countries
| Country | Lockly | SONOFF |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | United States | China |
Available in 1 country for both. Additional countries for SONOFF: 28.
What each covers
| Products | Lockly | SONOFF |
|---|---|---|
| Alarm | No | Yes |
| Camera | Yes | Yes |
| Smart lock | Yes | No |
| Video doorbell | Yes | No |
How they place
| Ranking | Lockly | SONOFF |
|---|---|---|
| Home security cameras | 31 of 75 | 15 of 75 |
| Security cameras without a subscription | 21 of 53 | 9 of 53 |
| Matter smart home devices | 14 of 33 | 5 of 33 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Lockly | SONOFF |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Diy | Diy |
| Power source | Battery, Solar | Wired |
| Ecosystems | Alexa, Google, Homekit, Matter, Smartthings | Alexa, Google, Homekit, Matter, Smartthings |
| Legal entity | Pin Genie Inc., doing business as Lockly | Shenzhen Sonoff Technologies Co.,Ltd |
| Headquarters | United States | China |
| Founded | 2014 | Not confirmed |
| Support channels | Community, Email, Help centre, PhoneCovers more | Email, Help centre |
Smart home devices
| Fact | Lockly | SONOFF |
|---|---|---|
| Device types | Hub | Thermostat, Trv, Lighting, Plug, Hub, Sensor, BlindsCovers more |
| Price from | $169.99 | €6.16 |
| Protocols | Matter, Wi fi | Matter, Thread, Zigbee, Wi fiCovers more |
| Matter certified | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Hub required | No | YesHas it |
| Local control | Yes | Yes |
| Heat pump compatible | No | Not confirmed |
| Energy reporting | No | YesHas it |
| Subscription per month | $0 | Not confirmed |
| Warranty | 1 to 5 yearsHigher | 2 years |
| Markets | US | AT, BE, BG, HR, CY, CZ, DK, EE, FI, FR, DE, GR, HU, IE, IT, LV, LT, LU, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SI, ES, SE, GB, USCovers more |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | Lockly | SONOFF | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monitoring per month | $0at the median | Not confirmed | $0 |
| Minimum contract | 0 monthsat the median | 0 monthsat the median | 0 months |
| Money-back period | 30 daysat the median | 30 daysat the median | 30 days |
| Cloud plan per month | $0below the median | Not confirmed | $3 |
| Recording retention | 90 dayshighest quarter | 90 dayshighest quarter | 30 days |
Median across 65 listed brands.
Pros and cons
Lockly
Pros
- Nothing recurs: monitoring costs $0, the cloud plan month is $0 and the Lockly Home subscription is $0.
- Contract months are 0 months, so there is no term to serve and hardware is the only outlay.
- Recordings stay on the device, since local storage is supported and history runs to 90 days.
Cons
- Professional monitoring is not offered, so anyone wanting an alarm response service has to look at a monitored alarm brand.
- Price ranks 60 of 70 brands here, and the lock range starts at $169.99.
- Shipping is listed for US, so buyers elsewhere pay return postage or source from a reseller.
SONOFF
Pros
- Matter certified gear across thermostat, trv and lighting, covering matter, thread and zigbee so it fits most existing setups
- Entry prices from €6.16 and cameras from €20.47
- Free features include local AI detection, security modes, privacy zones and RTSP with no monthly fee
Cons
- Professional monitoring is not offered, so alarms stay self-served
- A hub is required for the Zigbee thermostat, adding cost to a heating setup
- Support runs on email and help centre only, with no phone or live chat line
Who each suits
Lockly
Who it suits
- Renters and homeowners who want a lock, a camera and a video doorbell without a monthly bill.
- People in the US who want recordings held on local storage with local control in the app.
- Households already running alexa, google and homekit, since Lockly reaches all of those platforms over Matter and Wi-Fi.
Who should look elsewhere
- Buyers on a small budget, since Annke at $19.99 and Aqara at £36.98 both start well below the Lockly lock range at $169.99.
- Anyone who wants an alarm response service, because professional monitoring is not offered and a monitored alarm specialist is the better route than a camera maker.
- Shoppers outside US, where Lockly does not ship direct and a local reseller sets the final price.
SONOFF
Who it suits
- Renters and homeowners who already run a Matter or Zigbee home
- People who want camera recording on a card rather than a cloud subscription
- Builders covering lighting, plugs, sensors, blinds and climate from one maker
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone who wants professional alarm monitoring, which Sonoff does not sell
- Households on Z-Wave, a protocol outside the matter, thread and zigbee list
- Buyers who want phone or chat support, since email and help centre is the limit
Current offers
SONOFF
Current offer
Discount code
10% OFF your first order for newsletter subscribers: 10% off first order
Email newsletter signup; valid for 30 days; one-time use per customer; cannot be combined with other offers
Source, checked September 30, 2026
Country by country
| Country | Lockly | SONOFF |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | No | Yes |
| Belgium | No | Yes |
| Bulgaria | No | Yes |
| Croatia | No | Yes |
| Cyprus | No | Yes |
| Czechia | No | Yes |
| Denmark | No | Yes |
| Estonia | No | Yes |
8 of 29 countries where either is available.
Questions about each
Lockly
What does a Lockly system cost to run each month?+
Lockly does not charge for the running side. Professional monitoring costs $0, the cloud plan month is $0 and the Lockly Home subscription is $0. The free app tier still carries access logs, guest badges and one-time access codes, so nothing in the basic setup is held back behind a plan.
What do Lockly locks and cameras cost to buy?+
Smart locks start at $169.99, and a listed model sits at $189.99. Hardware is the main outlay here because there is no monthly plan to offset it. The warranty runs 1 to 5 years, and the return window is 30 days, which takes some of the risk out of a first order.
SONOFF
What does SONOFF hardware cost to get started?+
Entry prices run €6.16 across the range, and a security camera starts at €20.47. There is no separate hardware bundle to buy, so the outlay is the device itself plus a hub if the product needs one.
Is there a monthly subscription or contract?+
No. Contract length is 0 months, and local card recording, AI detection, privacy zones and RTSP are listed as free features. The dual-lens hub camera adds local AI detection and security modes with no monthly fee attached.